R E S E A R C H   G U I D A N C E

Kansas
Research Outline
   

Table of Contents
Records Of The Family History Library
Family History Library Catalog
Archives And Libraries
Bible Records
Biography
Cemeteries
Census
Church Records
Court Records
Directories
Emigration And Immigration
Gazetteers
Genealogy
History
Land And Property
Maps
Military Records
Naturalization And Citizenship
Newspapers
Periodicals
Probate Records
Vital Records
For Further Reading
Comments And Suggestions

LAND AND PROPERTYLook this term up in the glossary.


Federal Land RecordsLook this term up in the glossary.

When the United States acquired the area that is now Kansas, most of the land became part of the public domainLook this term up in the glossary.. Available land was surveyed by the government and could then be transferred to private ownership, a process called land entryLook this term up in the glossary.. The first general land officeLook this term up in the glossary. in Kansas was established at Lecompton in 1856. The local offices kept tract booksLook this term up in the glossary. (records of land transactions in each section) and township platsLook this term up in the glossary. (maps of land entries in each township).

After a settler completed the requirements for land entry by either purchase (cash entryLook this term up in the glossary.) or homesteadingLook this term up in the glossary., his case fileLook this term up in the glossary. was sent to the General Land OfficeLook this term up in the glossary. in Washington, D.C. Here a patentLook this term up in the glossary., or first-title deedLook this term up in the glossary., was issued, transferring the land from government to private ownership.

To locate the land entry or homestead case file for your ancestor, you will need to know either the patent numberLook this term up in the glossary. or the legal descriptionLook this term up in the glossary. (range, township, section of the land). The county recorder of deedsLook this term up in the glossary. may be able to tell you the legal description of the land from county land records. Or you may be able to locate his tract by searching the tract book covering the approximate area.

Township plats, patent records, and copies of the tractbooks are available at:

The Wyoming State Office of the Bureau of Land ManagementLook this term up in the glossary. (BLM)
5353 Yellowstone
Cheyenne, WY 82009
Telephone: 307-775-6256
Fax: 307-775-6129)
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 1828
Cheyenne, WY 82003
The National Archives has the original tract books, plats, homestead entry files, and cash entry files.


Land Grants to RailroadsLook this term up in the glossary.

Large sections of land were granted to railroad companies, primarily to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad and to the Union Pacific Railroad. These two companies sold many acres of land to settlers through their own land offices. The Kansas State Historical Society has some records of the railroad grants.


County Land Records

After land was transferred from the government by sale or grant to private hands, it could be sold again, inherited, lost by foreclosureLook this term up in the glossary. of a mortgageLook this term up in the glossary., or redistributed through a divorce. These transactions should be recorded by the county clerk in the form of deedsLook this term up in the glossary. and mortgages. You can obtain copies of the documents by contacting the appropriate clerk's office in each county. The Family History Library is presently acquiring microfilm copies of the deeds in the county courthouses.


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MAPSLook this term up in the glossary.

The following statewide atlasesLook this term up in the glossary. may be helpful to you:

Baughman, Robert W. Kansas in Maps. Topeka: Kansas State Historical Society, 1961. (FHL book Q 978.1 E7br.) The history of the state is depicted in a variety of maps.

Official State Atlas of Kansas. Philadelphia: L.H. Everts, 1887. Reprint. Kansas Council of Genealogical Societies, 1982. (FHL book Q 978.1 E7o.) This includes many city plats, township maps, and directories of residents.

Socolofsky, Homer E., and Huber Self. Historical Atlas of Kansas. Norman, Okla: University of Oklahoma Press, 1972. (FHL book 978.1 E3s.)

The University of Kansas in Lawrence has the largest collection of maps in the state. Kansas State University in Manhattan also has a large collection. The Family History Library has a small collection of maps.


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MILITARY RECORDSLook this term up in the glossary.

The U.S. Military Records Research Outline (34118) provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Many military records are found at the Family History Library and the National Archives and other federal and state archives. The United States Research Outline provides more information regarding these records.


Civil War (1861-1865)Look this term up in the glossary.

The Family History Library has the index to compiled military service records for Kansas soldiers who served in the Union Army (FHL films 881837-46). The service and pension records have not been filmed and are available only at the National Archives.

Additional military records were kept by the state government. The Kansas Adjutant General's records include correspondence, orders, rosters, lists of draftees, and discharges from 1861 up to World War II. These files are kept by the State Historical Society. A helpful guide is Eugene Donald Decker, A Selected, Annotated Bibliography of Sources in the Kansas State Historical Society Pertaining to Kansas in the Civil War (Emporia, Kans.: Kansas State Teachers College, 1961; FHL film 896829 item 3).


World War I (1917-1918)Look this term up in the glossary.

World War I draft registration cardsLook this term up in the glossary. for men age 18 to 45 may list address, birth date, birthplace, race, nationality, citizenship, and next of kin. Not all registrants served in the war. For registration cards for Kansas, see:

United States. Selective Service System. Kansas, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. (On FHL films beginning with 1643420.)

To find an individual's draft card, it helps to know his name and residence at the time of registration. The cards are arranged alphabetically by county, within the county by draft board, and then alphabetically by surname within each draft board.

Most counties had only one board; large cities had several. A map showing the boundaries of individual draft boards is available for most large cities. Finding an ancestor's street address in a city directory will help you in using the draft board map. There is an alphabetical list of cities that are on the map. For a copy of this map see:

United States. Selective Service System. List of World War One Draft Board Maps. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. (FHL film 1498803.)

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